Josefa Sigavolavola 
Thakor Hari Punja outside the Suva Magistrates Court this morning
Defence lawyers for Thakor Hari Punja today criticised repeated delays caused by the State’s late filing of submissions.
Punja, is before the court in a matter that was again stalled after the prosecution failed to meet multiple filing deadlines.
He is charged with unlawful possession of illicit drugs.
Defence counsel Iqbal Khan told the court the State was initially given 21 days to file its submissions, followed by an additional 14-day extension. However, the documents were only served on the day of the scheduled hearing.
Khan argued the delay severely limited the defence’s ability to properly review the submissions, assess the evidence and prepare a fair response, raising concerns about the integrity of the proceedings.
The State attributed the delay to an oversight and argued that the defence had only taken issue with parts of the submissions. Prosecutors also claimed some references in the defence’s application were generated using artificial intelligence.
Magistrate Yogesh Prasad acknowledged the defence’s frustration but noted the court’s limited jurisdiction on certain issues, which would need to be pursued in the High Court.
Despite recognising the disruption caused, the court ruled the hearing could not proceed due to the late submissions.
The matter has been adjourned to February 4 next year at 11:30am, with both parties directed to be fully prepared.
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